Herpesvirus and sore eyes

Two cats with sore eyes came to visit this morning. Meeka is a bouncy 8 week old Burmese. Jafar is a more sedate, but no less fun-loving, 7 year old Himalayan.

Meeka came from a breeder last weekend and has just developed a bit of a crusty discharge in the corner of both eyes. When I had a close look his eyes were a bit red and more watery than normal.

Jafar has episodes of red weepy eyes every few months. He is a bit of a stress-head and the episodes seem to correspond with changes in the household like a new house, visitors or an intruder cat in the yard.

They are both showing signs of feline herpesvirus infection. Meeka’s infection may progress to a runny nose and sinusitis or she may throw it off and never have another episode. If she goes off her food or is lethargic we will prescribe antibiotics for secondary infections.

Herpesvirus in Jafar hides in a nerve ganglion and just comes out when he is stressed. The conjunctivitis is a bit painful so we recommend artificial tears to keep the eye well lubricated. He is also taking an antiviral drug to try and reduce the viral load and conjunctivitis.

The other cat in Jafar’s household must have developed an immunity to the virus as she has never shown signs even when Jafar is shedding virus everywhere.

We keep a close watch on Jafar’s eye because herpesvirus can cause ulceration of the cornea, the window of the eye, and occasionally loss of the eye.

Living with cat allergies AND cats

Do you suffer wheezing, sneezing, watery eyes and itchy eyes and arms around your cat? For me, these allergy symptoms are a small price to pay for the company of my cats – although some mornings when I wake with a heavy head and red eyes I wonder!

Cat allergies are not caused by cat hair as most of us assume. They are caused by a protein found in cat saliva, urine and skin cells, or dander. The immune systems of people with allergies mistake this harmless protein for a dangerous invader like a virus or bacteria and mount a full scale attack on it.

Here are some tips for minimising our allergy symptoms without giving up our cats.

• Made your bedroom a cat free zone
•  Reduce the load of cat allergens in your bedroom by washing or replacing bedding, curtains and pillows. Then cover pillows and mattress with allergen-proof covers.
• Open windows wide at least once a day to air the house and dilute the allergen load
•  Send your cat outside, preferably into an outdoor run, to disperse some of the dander
•  Eliminate allergen traps such as carpet, rugs and upholstered furniture as you can. Carpet accumulates up to 100 times more allergens than vinyl or wood flooring. If you can’t take it up steam clean it regularly and vacuum with a high efficiency particulate arresting (HEPA) filter or us and allergen-proof vacuum cleaner bag.
• Brush your cat outside and/or in an outside enclosure to minimise contamination of your home with dander
• Wipe the dander away with a moist cloth or wipe to remove saliva and dander.
• Spray the house with anti-allergen sprays
• Use a low dust cat litter and ask non-allergic family members to clean the litter box frequently
• Take the antihistamines, decongestants, eye drops and aerosol inhalers your doctor recommends. Antioxidants such as Vitamins C and E also have anti-allergen effects.

 Don't let allergies come between you and your feline friend.